Wow - I've missed a lot.  Been offline for a few days!  I'm glad to see so
much show chatter going on - that's what Show Sleuth was hoping to see!
 
First, in reply to Scott.  I'm sorry that you think that Show Sleuth is
so bad at reporting on shows.  I'm new at this, learning the ropes.  I am
forgiving of others for mistakes, and I would hope you would be too.  I
acknowledged that I posted too negatively about Croydon.  I posted while
still feeling disappointment about the show, I should have taken some time
to balance that.  I still stand by the things that I said, and I fixed what
I did wrong.  I'm not sure what else I can do at this point.
 
However you said that more than once I had to go back and retract or add
positive comments to an original post and I did not.  Croydon was really
the only post I've done that I had to concede that I was off balance.  I
think you keep referring to Ohio and I did not change my initial post, I
just engaged in additional conversation about the show.
 
As for judges JUDGING professionally versus ACTING professionally: two
totally different things.  A judge can look, dress, and act improperly yet
still judge a ferret well.
 
As for a rabies clinic being an improvement on a previous years show - I
don't see it that way.  It was a nice element of the show but didn't change
the show in any way.  Things like the raffle are the kinds of things that
I would like to see an improvement on, for example.  The hall, too, are
things that they did not improve show after show.  But YES, I realize that
now they are changing the hall.  I don't know their motivation for doing
so, whether it was an effort to improve the show or out of necessity sake -
but I'll take it as an effort to improve the show.  But I acknowledged that
from the first post.
 
Moving on.  Wow, so much discussion on the attire of folks at shows!
Nifty.  I would like to clarify what I had meant before and add my
thoughts.
 
First, I do not want to see ferret shows become in any way like cat or dog
shows.  Women dressed in hideous dresses running their yippy little pooch
with bows in its hair around in a ring is not my idea of a good time.  I
do not want to see ferret shows become snooty, pretentious, high-fallooin'
events.  Dressing up is not what we go to ferret shows for.
 
BUT, we still have to remember that we are putting on a public event that
walk-ins can come to at any time to learn more about ferrets.  Right or
wrong, people fall prey to stereotypes and this is the image that we give
off.
 
For exhibitors on up to judges, things that I think are inappropriate:
ripped clothing, cut-off jeans, Marilyn Manson tee shirts (okay, personal
preference there), shirts bearing pictures of marijuana leaves (saw that
a few times - not that I am passing judgement on the drug or whether it
should be legal or not or if I ever inhaled - this isn't a presidential
debate here, but it's just not good P.R.), bodies with more tattoos than
flesh, nose rings attached to a lip ring with a chain, purple and orange
hair, 400 pound women in stretch pants and tank tops and lots of underarm
hair (okay, another personal preference, don't tell me you disagree!)--
these things are all not good ideas.
 
On the flip side, there is nothing wrong with decent jeans, nice tee
shirts/sweat shirts/polo shirts.  I like to see the ferret attire at shows,
even budweiser tee shirts with ferrets on them.  We need to remember that
we are speaking for ferrets in a way.
 
Which reminds me of a good example.  A year or so ago at the Long Island
show there was a shelter (I think it was a shelter) that gave off WAY the
wrong impression.  I do NOT mean to offend anyone here but it's just a good
example of what I'm saying.  These people were just way, way out there, I
think they thought they were at woodstock, they were walking around with
tamborines and it wasn't even as though when you spoke to them they were
eccentric but knowlegeable.  I was sitting not far from where they were and
I heard SO many people walk away from that table with some very not nice
things to say about them.  I remember thinking that these were people that
were spokespeople for ferrets and they were really putting people off by
not only their dress but their actions and the things that they said.  I
say it again I don't know who they were and I don't mean in any way to
offend but I was only one of scores of people that felt/said the same
thing.
 
Back to dress "codes": judges should not have to wear any kind of uniform
but sanctioning organizations should set limits on how judges dress to some
degree, but I still say jeans and a nice shirt are more than fine.  Judges
should wear badges, if for no other reason to distinguish them from the
stewards, which first time showers don't know the difference.
 
Those hosting/working the show I do think should wear the same shirt.  Why?
Because there are first time showers and walk ins that have many questions
and they don't know who to ask.  Often the announcer gets bombarded with
questions to which he or she doesn't have the time or answers for.  All
club members of the host wearing the same shirt would make it easy for
someone to know who to go to if they have a problem.  And the
regisrar/coordinator of the show wearing a shirt that states who they are
(like Ohio did) is a very good idea.
 
That's Show Sleuth's opinion on attire -- for sure if shows started making
us all look like Fifi yippy dog owners at Westminster I would not want to
attend ferret shows.  I like the casual atmosphere, but it's possible to
be casual and professional at the same time.
 
Next post on Chicago, coming up finally...
 
Murray Mustelid the Show Sleuth
[Posted in FML issue 2837]